What Everybody Says.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2533, 17 February 1877, Page 2

What Everybody Says.

" In multitude of counsellors there is safety."

—Old Provbrb

Everybody knows that the Auckland Star keeps what is by courtesy termed ," a poet" (Heaven save the mark), who affects rhyming composition of that style which the elder Weller condemned when he said that no one wrote poetry but Martin's blacking or Rowland's oil, "or some of those low fellows," a style which is often used by those who issue almanacs gratis, and extol their bad wares in worse verse, after the style of Moses and Son in London. The usual way of making these verses, judging by the results, appears to be to get two words to rhyme with each other, and place these one at the end of each line, and then fill up with words, regardless of sense or rhythm as long as Vie rhymes are right. This said poet of the Auckland Star generally confines his muse to writing certain couplets at the head of police reports, which might be funny if they were not bo intensely nonsensical. Here is a specimen, written over the Report of a case brought against the owner of a dog which had bitten a boy—

The little dog, 'twas said, at dawn of night Flew out and barked, and DonnelFs leg did bite. 1

Perhaps somebody can inform the public what " the dawn of night" means. The dictionary defines dawn as being •" the first appearance of light in the morning," if so, itis rather a large stretch of a poetical license to apply to night what belongs to light. The remainder of the couplets are on a par—one is enough for anybody to read. But still they all rhyme, and what can be nicer than rhymes, though they mean nothing.

It ia generally supposed that the office of an editor is private. That is ideal. It is generally found out that it is extremely public, That is real. The Evening. Star is, or ought to be, published daily at 4 p.m., but there are such things as slow 'busses, long courts, and many other things which retard said publication, though the public know it not, or if they know it make no allowance for it. Among these was a lady (apparently beyond a certain age) who, athirst for that knowledge of past events which the Star so ably chronicles, appeared at this office a few minutes after 4 o'clock yesterday. Having produced in a hand of doubtful purity a penny token, she requested—no, she demanded, a Star. She was—need it besaid politely ?—informed that the Star was not then published, having . been delayed. This was more than she of the penny could stand. "Why," she exclaimed, "it says four o'clock." The "it "being taken to mean the Star itself, she was again informed that four o'clock meant as near as possible to 4 o'clock. This was no use. She again repeated, "It says four o'clock," and beyond this phrase she was unable to go, and equally unable to stop short of it, and so retired down the street, still muttering to herself,as she went, "It gays," "it says," :i four o'clock;" "want i Star*.four o'clock," "says.so," Ac, until her voice was lost in the distance, or, as everybody who is dissolving partnership expresses it, "by efQuxion of time." There is something after all in what this good lady said about "it says" so and so, and many have found this out when waiting, as is sometimes the case, twenty minutes or so for the opening of the Borough Council, which, "it says," ought to commence at 7 p.m., and also for.all other things, whether in the way of entertainments, public conveyances, steamboats, cricket matches, which are said to commence or start at a certain hour, but which in reality do not do so until long after, and provoke language of a stronger kind from nearly everybody whose patience is more tried than that of the lady of yesterday.